


I'm Messing With YOU.

by koruyoru



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, M/M, Modern Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-24 02:52:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18160523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koruyoru/pseuds/koruyoru
Summary: A cop finds a corpse but the odd thing about it is the fact that it ressembles... himself?





	1. This has to be some sick joke...

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! This is the first time I write on ao3 since I was writing this on Wattpad. I'm very excited to know what you all think about this au I came up with. I kinda suck at writing but I enjoy writing regardless of my poor skills. Hope you all enjoy this and if you have any questions, hmu on instagram, my @ is koruyoru and I will gladly answer either through dm or tellonym.

2:37 AM  
He got woken up by a call from his lieutenant, Erwin Smith, that startled and dampened his whole night and probably... His whole life.  
"Thank fucking God you answered your phone.. We need you on the 27th street near the highway, a coffee shop called Downtown Café, close by the station. We found a guy and the poor bastard... Fucking hell, just hurry the fuck up and get here, the reporters are on my ass." and with that, the call seemed to have ended, and he raised an eyebrow. The lines of missed calls were endless but there was a single one that belonged to his father and he saw he had multiple voicemails.  
"EREN?! What the hell man please tell me this guy isn't you!" a male's voice that seemed to belong to one of his co-workers, Connie Springer. -MESSAGE LEFT AT 1:25AM-  
"Eren, please respond, I need to know you're alright, please answer!!" the voice of a female rang in his ear, the voice definitely belonged to Historia Reiss, the girl that worked the front desk at the station. -MESSAGE LEFT AT 1:55AM-  
"God damn it Jaeger, return our damned calls. Everyone is freaking the fuck out!" Jean Kirchstein. Definitely that prick. -MESSAGE LEFT AT 2:15AM-  
"Eren, it's me. I know we don't talk much but I saw on the news some guy got murdered and he looks like you.. Please call me back." his father's voice, he had never sounded so concerned over him and it sunk in his stomach. -MESSAGE LEFT AT 2:28AM-  
He quickly began to get dressed using casual clothes, a black button up long sleeved shirt and pants, and he put his hair up in a bun, small uneven hairs falling over his forehead. He put his badge on his belt, a watch on his wrist and immediately went out to his car.  
"Hey, yeah, it's me I saw all the missed calls, I wasn't ignoring any of you, I was just asleep at my house-"  
"You damn asshat, everyone was losing it here at the station, Erwin called up everyone and warned us that it wasn't you but shit dude... We were all worried sick. Just get there as fast as you can." Connie replied and hung up. The whole drive after that call was just him listening to radio broadcasts about the murder, he was a detective, a well known one from his town and even the stuff they were describing was gruesome beyond comparison and they kept mentioning that this must've been some sick joke or perhaps a warning because it seemed so planned out and odd that even the investigators couldn't figure it out. Upon nearing the location, he saw all the cop cars and people surrounding the area.  
He arrived at the crime scene and parked his car close by, endless crowds of people trying to find their way to see the corpse up close but the yellow tape and police officers were holding them all back. According to the radio, the victim was dressed up in an officer's uniform and apparently looked exactly as the well known detective, which he simply doubted and saw as mere exaggerations. From the spot he had parked on he could see the café and the different buildings that surrounded the area, it didn't seem like much so he concluded that anyone could get away with murder any time at night due to the lack of potential witnesses. He stepped out of his car and as soon as he did, everyone took one big look at him and immediately began to run towards him asking questions like.. "Is that your brother?" "Are you related to that dead man?" "Jesus fucking christ man... He's identical." that last one stuck with him as he pushed through them and he heard a shout from far away. "Jaeger!!" Erwin's blond hair catching the man's eye, waving his arm signaling for him to get closer. He made it to the other side of the yellow tape that was around the area and he saw the disgusting scene a couple of feet away as Erwin approached him. The scene was devoid of cars, only a couple of cars far away from the establishment, his eyes explored as much as he could.  
"Thank God, you arrived. This WILL be investigated until we find the sick fuck and put them behind bars." he spoke, cursing under his breath as they approached it. It was messy, gallons upon gallons of what looked to be a black substance. They were careful not to step on it as it could be potential evidence until they neared the body and the brown haired man could not believe what he was seeing. "Eren... We will find whoever did this. I promise you." the words that they kept repeating before between the mob of people finally began to make sense. The poor bastard looked exactly like him. Green eyes that held no light in them, long dark brown hair, the same face, the same skin tone but much more pale as if his body had been dead for weeks. The lifeless body had the same black substance oozing out of his eyes and mouth, it looked like he had choked to death with it, the substance discharged with sickly tones. He saw how the uniform looked like it was put on him for show, no actual delicate touch for it. Everything about it almost seemed sloppy work from the killer as if he had done this at the last minute so the radio broadcasts were wrong on one thing. Eren looked around the perimeter seeing the distance between the building to the street. He deduced the victim was dropped there and the culprit sped off. This was planned at the last minute, it seemed that this wasn't part of their plan.  
"The autopsy will tell us what the hell happened with him because everything seems internal according to the forensics crew but right now we need to think of how this guy ended up here." Erwin explained and Eren knelt down near the victim's face. "This wasn't planned at all.. Everything about this screams panicked and hurried acting. They probably just tossed him here as he was dying. We are probably looking for a big car, probably a van." he listed. The victim seemed heavy, if he was tossed here, it was probably multiple culprits. "It was a group. One person couldn't have pulled this off." he explained as he saw scratches all over his face, including his neck, still raw and fresh and he decided to look at the victim's hands, noticing nails that they contained remnants of blood. He saw more details that would've been picked up by the crew but he noticed that the body was in an odd position, as if he was struggling. He took note of the nametag that did not look cheap like the rest of the costume but instead stood out. 'Try Again' was written over it and it put Eren in a trance. Try what again? If this body was meant to look like him then why must he try again? He sighed and decided to just keep a mental note of it for himself.  
"Those scratches on his face and neck appear to be self inflicted, this seems to be a later reaction, he was probably struggling to breathe. Do we have an ID on the victim?" a nearby officer walked over to him and he quickly recognized it was Connie looking relieved to see him. "No clue, he had no wallet, no ID, no phone. Fucking nothing. Everyone is confused as hell and they've taken samples of the black substance on the ground but it seems to be his own fucking blood." Eren looked at Connie with a puzzled look. "Black blood? Then it would mean the killer purposely made the victim bleed internally.. He could've been poisoned before he was tossed here." Erwin took note and immediately went to voice it through his radio, walking away to one of the cop cars and Connie shrugged not able to really tell the cause. "Hanji is running some tests at the lab but do you know of anyone that could've done this? Someone with a grudge?"  
Eren shook his head, he had no idea on what to think. . Who could've gone after an innocent man who clearly is a lookalike and dress him up like this, then murder him. "I've got no clue who could've done this. I literally don't have any enemies and you know I've been in this for years... I only argue with Jean and he would never do something like this." Connie nodded, agreeing with his statement and sighed, looking over at the mob of reporters. "The thing is... An ex-reporter was the one that found him, she was exiting the establishment when she stumbled upon him in the parking lot. She called the cops and said it looked like a detective she had seen on the news for a murder case. She's probably getting interviewed right now but you should probably tell her you're alive first."  
Eren kept it in mind as he approached a nearby ambulance and began to hear a voice as he approached it but he stood by to listen in. "The police keep telling me he's alive but I seriously won't believe it until I see him here at the crime scene." she paused for a bit. "Yeah, I was talking to him about it, he didn't see that guy near the café and you know he dislikes that detective or anything that has to do with him." she sighed and then spoke again. "I have to go, I need to find a police officer to tell them I need to speak to the lieutenant , I'll call you later Sasha... Bye." Eren finally began to walk and turned around the corner back of the ambulance and saw a girl with short black hair that barely reached her neck, a scarf wrapped around her neck and she was sitting on the back opening of the ambulance.  
"Excuse me... Ma'am?" he tried to sound calm but she still seemed a bit shaken up because she immediately responded with a panicked yes, and gray eyes met green as she seemed a bit lost but a hint of relief spread across her face features upon further realizing it was him. "Detective Jaeger..." she stood up and extended her hand. "Mikasa Ackerman. It's nice meeting you, I'm glad you aren't... dead. I used to be a reporter for channel 17." he couldn't help but chuckle and nod. They shook hands and he then spoke casually. "Nice to meet you too. And yeah a lot of people are going nuts over the fact the victim looks like me, it almost seems like a really bad dream or nightmare at this point." she completely understood, the night could not become any worse than this for her.  
"Anyways, I just wanna ask a couple of questions about the body when you found him." Mikasa looked down at the floor and sighed, cursing the luck she had. She had just had a small argument with Levi, her close relative about her job. "Like I said to the police officers... I found him while I was exiting the coffee shop, it belongs to a family member of mine. As soon as I turned the corner, I saw him there wriggling and struggling, I thought it was some weirdo or drug addict until I noticed he stopped moving..." her heart sunk deeper and her eyes instantly glossed over. "I could've helped but... I was too late.." Eren knelt in front of her and looked at her with softened eyes. "I know it's hard but you have to understand, there's only so much we can do.. Do not blame yourself and don't worry, I will solve this case." Mikasa nodded firmly, understanding what he said. "T-Thank you so much detective..." he shook his head, stopping her and smiled softly. "Call me Eren."  
She was immediately reassured and nodded firmly. "Thank you Eren.." he gave a single nod and stood up, looking around the area. "You said this coffee shop belongs to a close relative of yours.. Were they open when this happened?" she hummed in an affirming manner and stood up, slowly grabbing her purse from the ambulance. She stood just below Eren's chin and she was a bit taken a back, stuttering her words. "H-He was meant to close around 11pm but things got a bit heated. I was walking out in a hurry because of the conversation and that's when I stumbled upon the body." Eren lifted an eyebrow and looked at his wrist where his watch was. Noticing it was way past the original time but that was probably on the record since he woke up hours after it had happened. "Is he still in the shop?"  
"Yes. He is inside the café but he did not want to speak to the police and since he was practically telling them to get out, they began to question him about his involvement but I can assure you.. He would never hurt anyone like this." Eren understood and began to follow Mikasa as she approached the entrance to the coffee shop. He pulled the handle to open the door and he got inside after her. He began to look around for cameras, seeing only the ones that recorded from the interior. Inside the establishment, they saw the owner of the store looking at the small TV that hung from the ceiling. "Levi.." Mikasa softly uttered his name and saw the man turn, his face not holding any sort of expression upon seeing her, his eyes drifted and he finally saw the man beside her and he immediately groaned. "You're alive then?" Eren found it hard to believe such a well mannered woman was somehow related to this grumpy man- He stopped himself and held his breath. What on earth was he thinking? She's a potential witness and he's already-. He shook his head and began to speak up. "I'm sorry Mr. Ackerman, that my arrival has probably worsened your night but I am here to ask questions in person about what happened-"  
"A dead guy that looked like you happened. Now everyone's spooked out of their minds and won't step foot in my establishment."  
'Oh boy.' he simply thought.


	2. Eventful Day

7:12am  
Eren rubbed his cheek, practically swollen and showing a bright red color. He laughed inwardly as she put a cold glass of water with ice remaining inside against his face. "He has never done that to an officer... I don't blame you if you pressed charges." Mikasa tried to clarify sadly and he took note. "I won't. I understand his frustration, plus I would be angry if a stupid case ruined his kid's career." her eyes widened and she lowered the glass to the table they sat on. They had plates, forks and 2 cups of coffee remaining on it and the early morning was upon them. Eren had invited her for breakfast and coffee at a café he would go frequently before work, she accepted since she wanted to get away from Levi.   
She sighed, looking at the glass she held up to his cheek. "He's just angry that I ended up with a part time job at a retail... and I am not his kid..." Eren touched and moved his mouth with his right hand, raising an eyebrow but avoiding to open that can of worms, he spoke. "Better than having no job you know?" she lifted her eyes and looked at him unsure but pleased he didn't try to pry about the other subject. Mikasa knew he was right but then again she lost her former job at Channel 17 for reasons she could've avoided. She wondered if it was better if she was out of it or in it. She placed the glass on the table and crossed her arms on her chest, looking to her side frowning at the events.  
"Still, he hit you pretty hard." she said.  
The memory flashed in his head and they sat at a table discussing the situation, opening and closing time for the coffee shop, the reason why it was open up to so late in the night and why he was in such a bad mood and dodging questions.  
"You don't need to know what me and Mikasa were discussing before she left. It is a private matter that has nothing to do with the dead guy." Eren was getting aggravated slightly and Mikasa could see him getting annoyed so she tried to excuse Levi's behavior. "Eren, he wouldn't budge with the police officers either.. There's no point—" Levi silenced her. "No no, he needs to understand that some people may hide shit but I assure you I wouldn't give two rats ass if you had truly died."  
"LEVI." She stood, her hands in fists. Her blood boiled and Eren had to touch her arm, they glanced at each other and she let out a huff, looking back at Levi. It irked her in unbelievable levels but she had to reason with him. "That innocent man did not deserve that, i know you hate Eren and you don't want nothing to do with him but he needs to proceed the investigation and anything you can contribute would be appreciated." her tone was calm again, it wasn't a beg and it wasn't a demand, it was just her trying to reason with a father like figure.   
Mikasa barely lost her composure but with Levi, it was a completely different story. He looked at her with a sour expression and stood up from his chair, turning his back to them. "Get out of my café." she had her mouth open and then felt herself lose it again, Eren couldn't stop her this time, he folded close the notepad he was writing on and watched in silence. She approached Levi and grabbed his arm. "No. An innocent man got killed and you're letting a stupid grudge get a hold of you. You need to understand I lost my job at my own accord—" he immediately cut her off. "NO! You could've LIED and you would've kept your job! But you decided to risk it all, losing your job, almost losing your apartment and coming back to me after years of no contact, asking for help." Levi shook his arm out of her grip and pointed at her face. "You did this to yourself. Your career went out the window because you were naive. Good people don't always make it out. Sometimes you need to be a bad person." her gaze dropped at his words and she stared at the floor, her heart sinking. He swallowed and began to walk towards the counter. The brown haired man finally stood from his chair and put himself in front of Mikasa, she watched his back come to view with a shocked expression. "Mr. Ackerman, being a good person does have a rough path but being a decent person is better than following and falling under the flawed system. Mikasa did, apparently, lose her job but she didn't lose her morals while they were put to the test." he didn't regret voicing his opinion out but Levi slowly turned around and glared at him. "You know what Jaeger?" and with a swift movement Eren couldn't even see in time. His face was facing the other side of the room and his cheek beginning to sting badly. "Take your righteousness out of my damned establishment." Eren chuckled to himself and closed his eyes. "Alright sir, I am taking my leave." he held his jaw and motioned Mikasa to the door with his head, as he gathered his things from the table and left.  
They sat in silence as he finished remembering the events that happened but she was the one that broke his train of thought with a long sigh. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?" she asked, he glanced at her and shrugged, then looking at the table with a half smile, a hand under his chin, resting his head on his palm. "I believe in Levi but then again the other cops are probably gonna call him for proper questioning at the station soon enough." he explained and she shook her head. "No... I meant your face." he lifted his eyes and met hers, smirking. "I should be alright... Why? Are you worried?" he attempted to tease her and she mumbled out words, voicing excuses nervously but he couldn't quite hear. He moved his hand in a 'don't worry about it' manner and smiled, speaking in a reassuring tone. "I would've lost my temper back in the day but now I don't care if people get pissed off at me, I just turn my other cheek and follow the rules, code of honor." Mikasa wondered and her eyes explored his face looking for... Something. She felt like she was interviewing a very mysterious humble man which made her clear her throat and avoid his gaze. "You should watch your back Eren... If that dead man was purposely made to look like you—" he cut her off with his hand and gave her a soft smile. "I'll keep it in mind, plus i have to check in with forensics and view the autopsy anyways... Do you want a ride to your home?" she was a bit taken a back due to the offer but smiled gently. "Yeah.. I'm kinda tired of riding the bus home." they both chuckled and took their leave, Eren leaving a tip for the waiter and exiting the coffee shop.  
Upon getting her to her apartment he received a call as he arrived there. "Hey man, the autopsy shows you were correct, the body indeed had internal injuries for the most part but we found a note in one of his pockets. It's a phone number for a.. uh..." Connie's voice drifted and Eren looked at the car's wheel with a puzzled look, Mikasa sitting in the passenger's seat, holding a piece of paper in hand. "It's apparently an escort line. By the way, the ID on the victim is Zachary Cox. But you have to get here as soon as you can, we need to brainstorm 'cause this guy was apparently a wanted drug dealer that was being looked for by the police. His whereabouts were unknown until now." Connie told him and Eren swallowed, a criminal killing another criminal. Rare and complex cases but he figured this was very on purpose. "Thank you Connie, I'll get there as soon as i can." he hung up after Connie hummed and Eren stared at his phone. He then looked at Mikasa smiling awkwardly as she nodded, understanding immediately. "Duty calls. Good luck, Detective." he smirked while she exited the car. "I said you could call me Eren." she slowly walked around the car and bent a little to see his face in the driver's seat, grinning. "You really suck at this, huh." she said while giggling and began to walk away. "I try my best!" he shouted and saw her turn to him and roll her eyes. Her figure disappearing into the small apartment building. He sat back in his car and looked at the passenger's seat, a folded paper sitting there and he had a smug look on his face. "Still got it." he grinned like a teenager and drove off to the station.  
9:22am  
Once there, he was greeted by Connie at his desk and he immediately guided him to the autopsy room. As they entered, a woman with brown hair and glasses excitedly spoke to them. "It's good to see you Eren, we were all so worried and we are glad you are safe." Hanji said a bit too loudly making Connie cringe slightly. "Eren, you were absolutely correct about the injuries being internal and I am really proud you figured that out, all of those sleepless nights talking about the cases was worth it." he chuckled nervously at her words, remembering how she kept him up at the station until morning, speaking about cases and ways the victims were murdered. He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm glad to hear my deduction skills have paid off." Eren laughed at his own remark and saw Connie smile to himself. "Erwin has already decided you are going undercover to the escort number's location that we traced back to a bar far away from town. We had a bit of trouble with the info since there is no history about it online and we didn't wanna risk it with a call over there, just in case the culprits are in that building still doing their 'business'." Connie explained to Eren as he put a hand on his shoulder. "They assigned you with Jean, good luck buddy." Eren groaned loudly as Connie left the room and Hanji laughed hysterically at this reveal. "Oh, you are going to love it!" she teased as he rolled his eyes and left the room as well. "Keep me updated for what type of poison it was." and he heard her hum in response.  
He approached Erwin's office seeing Jean pass by him. "Good to see you're alive. Still disappointing we have to work together on the weekend undercover." Jean voiced his thoughts to Eren and they stood in front of each other while exchanging glares. "Lieutenant's orders. Nothing we can do about it." he shrugged watching the light brown haired man huff in annoyance and continue walking down the hallway. Eren scowled but got near the door and saw Erwin sitting at his desk, looking through papers. He knocked on the frame and saw the blond haired man look up and motion him to get in. "Did you get to interview Mikasa and Levi Ackerman?" Erwin asked in a monotone voice, compared to last night which showed his concerns over Eren's well being, he was back to his formal speaking manner. "Yeah, he wouldn't budge but I did warn Mikasa he would be brought in anyways for questioning." Erwin agreed knowingly, Eren then leaned his back against the wall, his arms crossed yet again. "As you heard from Connie, you have been assigned to assist on an undercover investigation for the escort phone number we found on the body. Please try to just find witnesses, don't cause any sort of situation since these people could potentially be dangerous and pull a fast one on both of you." Eren understood his words but he fidgeted with his foot slightly, responding. "I am very concerned over this. Why was there an escort's phone number on him and why was he dressed and made out to look like me? It just doesn't make much sense." Eren tried to reason with his own thoughts and Erwin looked over the papers again. "I think it falls into place... But we need to investigate. We can't jump to conclusions just yet. So prepare yourself for friday night, you will leave with Jean Kirchstein undercover to get to the bottom of this." Eren and Erwin looked at each other and the brown haired man nodded firmly but before he could exit the office, the blue eyed man cleared his throat, stopping him in his tracks. "Who in God's name hurt your face like that? Don't tell me you went perving on Ms. Ackerman?-" Eren quickly turned around and faced his boss with an unsure expression, he didn't want to get the grumpy man in more trouble than he already was so he said the first thing that came to mind. "Yeah I slipped and fell on her, accidentally grabbing her boob." Erwin's eye twitched but he expected no less from the dumbass that stood in front of him, he exhaled loudly. "Carry on with your day, Jaeger." he dismissed Eren and once he was out of Erwin's sight, he sighed in relief and laughed inwardly to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any doubts and questions please hmu on instagram @ koruyoru either through dm or tellonym!  
> Hope you all enjoyed!


	3. Unexpected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEAVY DISCLAIMER  
> I wrote this character in this way to reflect how the fandom portrays them and how much they get exploited in both fanart and fanfiction just for being cute. So please consider this the only time I make this character do something like this since I will explore the impacts of this situation on their life with a different dynamic and how much they dislike being portrayed in such an offensive way/literally disrespecting the character. This is just a reflection of how I see this character being handled in the fandom. THIS IS NOT A PERMANENT THING IN THE STORY, IT IS JUST ONLY FOR THIS CHAPTER SO PLEASE CUT ME SOME SLACK I AM TRYING TO BE CREATIVE AND PROVE A POINT THROUGH THIS. ANY THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS PLEASE LEAVE THEM IN MY TELLONYM OR PERSONALLY DM ME. I do not mean to offend anyone with this, I just want people acknowledging how this characters NEEDS to be given proper respect and treated as they are, not some OC for the fandom to handle and treat like a rag doll.   
> hAVE FUN READING!!

-Friday-   
Eren looked at his watch. '11:56pm' he read on it but crossed his arms again, his back leaning against his car and looking at the front of a wide and big house. The front lawn decorated with gnomes and flamingos, it lowkey looked like an old ladies house. He saw Jean then exit the house and adjust his jacket, approaching the car, adjusting his badge properly. "I am going to regret this bullshit soon enough." he said bitterly as he got around the car and sat on the passenger's seat, Eren soon following suit and sitting in the driver's seat. "Yeah, me too. But you might finally get laid tonight." the brown haired man snickered and saw the other man glare at the window. He turned on the engine and sped off to the given location. "Your jokes get crappier and crappier every time we exchange sentences. So turn on the radio so I can ignore you with something I wanna actually listen to." Jean motioned to the radio with a scowl and saw Eren turn it on, switching the channels and settling on one Jean didn't frown or groan at.  
It wasn't that long of a ride but when they arrived, they were greeted with a long line of people outside the place waiting to enter. "Fucking hell. It's gonna be a miracle if they let us in." Jean muttered as Eren parked the car and turned off the engine, unbuckling his seat belt and eyeing the area for suspicious behavior. He saw the place was, obviously, crowded but he saw there was a man at the front, guarding the door. "We might be able to slip past but how the hell do we even blend in?" Eren looked over to Jean and he was already opening and closing the door. "Great." he exhaled loudly and braced himself, leaving the car as well, locking it with the beeper and approaching the end of the line with Jean. They stood there and waited like the rest of the people, listening in to the conversations which were mostly just thirsty guys wanting to get some action from the dancers.   
It was a while before they were in front of the man guarding the entrance. He took one big look at them with his eyes that were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. He put a finger to his ear listening to the intercom and nodded, opening the door. Eren was a bit taken aback by how fast they let them in without any word so he immediately began to take mental notes. Bright lights came to view as they got in, dancers delivering drinks to specific tables and a stage filled with poles where more dancers resided. They got near the counter where the bartender was and they glanced at the party as much as they could. "What would you gentlemen want to drink?" the bartender rose his voice to get the males to listen and they both turned, Jean thought long and hard but Eren immediately said Martini catching Jean offguard. "Psycho." he mouthed as Eren smirked and turned around as Jean ordered a Margarita, turning to face the dancers along with Eren. The brown haired man leaned toward the light haired one and spoke in a smug like manner. "We need to get a hold of one of the ladies, do you think you can pull it off? I'm kinda rusty but I'll be rooting for you, man." Jean glared at his words and huffed, a clicking sound making them turn around and the bartender serving the drinks. Jean grabbed the Margarita and put his share of the money on the counter, walking away towards the crowd that were facing the dancers.  
Eren sat on a chair meanwhile and turned to face the bartender. "Have you heard of a man called Zachary, I heard he worked around here?" the bartender looked around and leaned in. "He hasn't come around in a while, must've gotten in trouble with the big guys." he motioned to the VIP lounge and Eren immediately began to observe as much as he could as the bartender spoke some more. "Number 1 rule of this place is to never get the big guys angry but Zachary liked taking the piss out of them so.." Eren nodded and shrugged, taking a sip of his Martini. "They can't handle jokes?" the bartender chuckled to himself and shook his head. "They like to play jokes but that's all I'm saying man, if you wanna find out where Zachary is, talk to the dancer he often pays for a special treat." Eren raised an eyebrow at this and pretended he didn't know what that meant. "Special treat? My friend hasn't gotten some in a long time, could we get that special treat for him?" the bartender laughed loudly, pointing at a blond girl on the far end dancing on a pole. "Just tell your friend to say 'blue nile'." Eren took note and went to find Jean, placing the final pay on the counter. He found him observing a group of people at the VIP lounge and placed a hand on his shoulder. He explained the situation and Jean understood, immediately taking action and giving Eren his finished glass of Margarita. Eren stayed behind sinking between the crowd to get a closer look of the restricted area, checking how big the place really was.  
Jean approached the crowd in front of the blonde haired dancer and somehow made it to the very front seeing up close how flexible she was. She wore a loose skirt and a small bra, her body catching his eye. She slowly came down in front of him and he motioned her to get closer, whispering the code and she looked uneasy for a bit, her half open lidded blue eyes distracting Jean as she rose and did a twirl, walking away from the pole down the stage on the small staircase. He heard the crowd express their disappointment and glare at Jean as he followed her and they met at a hall, she was petite compared to the other girls and she guided him to the secret rooms hidden from the main area. They stayed in silence until she found an specific room far enough for them to get in, slowly opening the door and letting the light brown haired man enter after her.   
He approached the wide heart shaped bed, the whole room decored in a romantic settling, the lights slightly dimmed and dark, he heard the girl closing and locking the door immediately after they had entered. Jean turned around and saw the girl approaching slowly him, making him lose his balance and fall on the bed. He hadn't done this before, getting so close to interview a dancer but finally saw properly how the girl looked unsure and hesitant to do anything wild, her movements a bit sloppier up close. She looked like she was drugged almost. He moved the edge of his jacket to his side, revealing his badge and the girl gasped backing off quickly, stumbling a little with the heels. "A police officer?" she mouthed shaking slightly. Jean sat up and nodded. "I am Detective Jean Kirchstein, I'm undercover with my partner finding connections to Zachary Cox, I heard he would pay for special favors from you." the girl looked at him wide eyed and felt her eyes gloss over. Her legs shaking and he noticed immediately, standing up. "Did he hurt you?" the blonde haired girl nodded her head fast and covered her face with her hands, having a slight panic attack. "P-Please help me.. I'm being held against my will here... I was so scared of calling the police and they keep drugging me on purpose so I can't fight them off.." Jean saw her wipe her eyes with her hand and look at him sadly. "I'm not even a woman." Jean's mouth dropped. His train of thought going at a faster rate he had never expected. 'I can't believe I almost hooked up with a guy' he shook his head quickly and approached the apparent 'he' slowly.  
"Those motherfuckers are insane. I'll get you out of here, Zachary Cox was found dead a few days ago, we were investigating since we found an escort's phone number on him and we luckily bumped into you, a direct connection. May I ask for your name?" the blond haired young man nodded and replied. "My name is Armin Arlert, I thought I was applying for a job as a waiter but they immediately took me as a special pet to please Zachary... Is he really dead?" Armin asked, staring at the floor fidgeting with his thumbs nervously, extremely uncomfortable of how he was dressed. "Yeah, he won't hurt you again Armin, do not worry. You need to follow me, my partner and I are conducting an investigation and we can totally get you as far away from these lunatics as possible." he explained to the blond haired man.  
He saw Armin nod with teary eyes and they made eye contact for only a brief moment until a phone began to ring in Jean's pocket. He fumbled to find it and answered immediately.  
"Eren? what the fuck?"  
"Dude we need to fucking go, grab the girl and let's leave, the VIP lounge has some bullshit going on and theyre freaking out, I think they found out about the missing dancer. I already called for backup just in case this gets ugly."   
"I'm gonna try and to find another exit, meet me outside when you can. I'll get there with Armin."  
"Who the hell is Arm-"  
Jean hung up the phone, turning to Armin. "We need to get out of here, the douches are looking for you." the young man gulped and shook slightly. "I'm so scared.. I think they might kill me if they see me leave." the light brown haired man thought intensely, thinking of ideas but then he quickly got his jacket off and gave it to Armin as he got closer. "Put that on and put the hoodie over your head. I'm getting you out of here." he did as he was told, the jacket covered his small body entirely and he silently watched as Jean approached the door, unlocking it, his hand over his gun. "We need to find another exit, you practically live here don't you? Just tell me where we need go." Armin was hesitant but did as he was told, immediately explaining the possibilities. "O-Okay.. we have at least 2 exits, the main one at the front and the one that is in the back but there's always a guard there." he explained a bit as Jean took a peek at the hall and hummed. "We could go out the front since we are bound to slip in between the crowd, we just need a distraction-" the young man got interrupted as he heard gun shots and immediately inhaled a breath, holding onto Jean's back, his hands gripping the shirt. "Fuck... Eren was right. They really are pissed off. We are going with the second option, do not let go of me." Armin understood and held on as Jean practically bolted, the blond haired one just barely keeping up. "Detective Jean.. my feet." he turned them to face the wall, dancers immediately passing by them screaming at the top of their lungs but the music was loud enough to muffle some as they got away, hiding in the different rooms. Jean hid Armin from them. "Take them off quickly." he told Armin and he did it as fast as he could, taking off the heels and throwing them aside, Jean heard the clicking of them falling and immediately began to drag Armin into the main lounge. Seeing the crowd sparse like ants once water had fallen on their land, he spotted a few guards pushing through and Jean held on to Armin's hand, pushing them up to rest against a pillar. More gunshots were heard, loud screams and he could already hear sirens surrounding the place. He held Armin tightly, taking out his gun and looking at him smirking slightly. "I think we might get out of this alive-" a bullet brushed against the pillar and Jean groaned. "Never fucking mind." peeking his head through the other side of it, seeing that surprisingly the area was devoid of people running and he assumed they all left faster than expected. Aiming his gun at the guys that were firing, he fired at them as Armin shook violently, he did not do well under such stress. He held tightly against Jean, his back against the pillar as Jean kept shooting.  
On the other side of the room, the guards immediately saw that the situation was going nowhere and cops were involved, they bolted out the back still shooting back at the police. Police sirens following them as they exited the building and left in their large cars. The music muffled the commotion of cops entering the scene, securing the area and taking the dancers to nearby ambulances. Jean let out a breath and saw Armin slump down against his chest, he felt his shirt getting wet. "Thank you.. So much..." he muttered lowly but Jean luckily heard it and patted the boy's back. "Don't worry about it.." he murmured still holding him in place as Eren approached him. "So this is Armin." the green eyed man put his gun in the pocket where he kept it and saw the blond haired one turn around. "T-Thank you detectives. I will deliver as much info as you officers need..." he said backing away from Jean, still a bit shaken up and wiping his face with the sleeve of the jacket. The hoodie covering his head. "We need to clear up the place and look for evidence. No casualties?" Jean asked only to see Eren shake his head in response. "Luckily everyone got out in time, a few of the dancers were injured but nobody died thankfully." the light brown haired man understood and guided Armin to the outside of the club as Eren stayed inside, viewing the surroundings long enough until he got called over by another officer.   
"We found this, it is definitely for you Detective Jaeger." Eren grabbed the flip phone and observed it. After a couple of minutes it rang. Eren slowly flipped it open and put it against his ear.  
"Hello Detective Eren Jaeger." Eren's heart sunk.


	4. First Contact

Eren was rendered speechless.  
The shiver that ran down his spine simply taking him effort to even stand up straight. "It's nice knowing you caught on." The menacing voice he had heard prior speaking again. He assumed, like anyone else would, they were using some sort of method to disguise their voice but the cops could easily track the phone call's last location as soon as they brought it in to the station. He heard the voice chuckle slightly. "This is my little present for you detective. I am actually a really big fan and I truly enjoy your work. As you can see, I took one of my men out with no hesitation to just grab your attention and scare your folks for a bit. I would kill to meet you in person but it was fun watching you from afar today in the club. It's funny since I did not expect you to enjoy Martinis, maybe we can have a drink sometime?" Eren bit his tongue back, holding back a million insults, holding back days of frustration and confusion. He simply spoke with a casual "Good idea. Tell me more." The one on the other end sighed loudly enough for Eren to hear and did a clicking noise with his mouth using his tongue. "Not gonna happen unfortunately but I would like for you to play close attention to what I'm about to say since your life may depend on it." the distorted voice sounded way more intense than Eren had expected, he sat down on a nearby chair. "You see.. There aren't many cops like you, who are clever and good at what they do but I think you should try again to try and impress me. Your mother wouldn't enjoy if you failed this case by the way." Eren was just not able to gather his thoughts like he usually does but the voice continued on. "Your silence speaks volumes to me, my friend. I hope you aren't mute." the distorted voice mocked as the green eyed man clenched his jaw and spoke through his teeth anyways. "Trust me, 'friend', I am not mute." he practically bit back, the police officer that stood nearby gulping nervously and notifying the other officers about the situation. "That's good to know detective.. You are probably wondering why the fascination in you specifically. You'll get your answers soon enough." with that, the voice had ended the call as Eren sat there stunned. His thoughts began to process things carefully, realizing how up close and personal this person was. He exhaled sharply, his heart racing, anxiety building up.   
He stood, slamming the phone on the counter and began pacing back and fourth, his façade immediately falling, he barely saw when Jean had approached him. He just kept fidgeting uncontrollably and his breaths were everything he heard until he finally found the reason why he was losing it. It caused him to fall to his knees, not caring if his legs hurt afterwards. "That bastard... What does mom have to do with any of this? The hell am I to that guy? Some sort of show or entertainment? A joke?." he voiced his thoughts, his hands shaking as he stared at them, Jean simply standing above him, watching silently. Eren slowly lifted his hands, opening and closing them slowly. He was regaining his composure again, breathing in and out. Jean knelt beside him and patted his back. "I cannot stand you but you have to concentrate. Do not let yourself drown in emotions. Take it easy." Eren nodded quickly, considering his words, inhaling and exhaling a final time and they both stood. It took him a while to relax but then he spoke, thanking the light brown haired man, as he nodded smirking and just patted his shoulder before leaving again, Eren following suit out the club as the police officers resumed to explore the area, looking for evidence. "I need to write a report for Erwin, the killer is definitely knowing of me which is not good." he explained briefly to Jean as the other scratched the back of his neck and yawned, checking his phone. "1:45am? Damn.." he groaned and looked over at Eren who just raised an eyebrow at him. "You're used to being awake at this hour dude, I'm not. I'm already dead asleep by 11." Eren's expression changed into utter disappointment and shook his head. "Damn wimp." Jean simply glared at him and made his way to find Armin who was being treated in an ambulance. Eren had soon followed after him to talk to the young man they had rescued.  
Armin was slowly looking up while he was being looked at by a paramedic, smiling a bit as he saw the pair of detectives. The paramedic turned to face them after he was done, explaining to the light brown haired one, Armin needed to be brought to the hospital for a detox. Jean understood immediately. "We will get to you immediately at the hospital once you feel much better." he spoke to Armin and the young man shook his head, standing up, approaching him. "I-I need to get everything out to the police as soon as possible. I know too much and you both do not need to wait until my recovery-" Jean immediately took action, slowly gestured and motioned him to sit back down, the paramedic staying close by. "You are not going to be interviewed tonight. We can definitely just pass by tomorrow and visit you at the hospital. I doubt you've had a nice rest or eaten properly." Jean reasoned with Armin as the small one nodded slowly, understanding. "Ahh I see.. I will see you both in the morning then." they saw the paramedic help him get on the back of the ambulance and before Jean and Eren could turn around to go back to their car, Armin called over the light browned haired one. "Detective Kirschtein! Your jacket-?" he turned around golden eyes meeting blue and he moved his hand in a 'don't worry about it' manner. "Keep it." the blond one was a bit taken aback, a small smile forming and simply waved them goodbye, as both detectives waved back, leaving the scene.   
-  
11:22am  
Jean had paced back and fourth in the lobby as Eren watched from a chair. He passed a hand through his hair and smirked at the other taller man. "You nervous to talk to your boyfriend?" Jean turned around immediately. "You fucking asshole!—" he almost went for his throat but a nurse interrupted them. "Please keep quiet." she then began notifying the floor Armin was on and the room he stayed in, telling them he was still a bit shaken up. They both made their way to the elevator, arriving at the correct floor and beginning to look for the room he stayed in. They found it after a while after crossing endless halls and the only thing being heard were their footsteps. They entered the small room and saw Armin looking out the window, his hands on his lap looking a bit like in a trance until he heard the door squeak to a close he immediately turned. "It's good to see you." Eren smiled warmly and saw the blond nod firmly. "I cannot thank you both enough. I haven't felt this free in a long time." Jean sat on a nearby chair and moved his hand, dismissing it. "You didn't deserve to be in that sort of situation and we are here for whatever you may need." he reassured the young man and Eren nodded agreeing with his statement. "But we would like to know of who were involved in the club and handled the drugs you were injected with." Armin understood, rubbing his knuckles as he looked at his hands. "They took blood samples and examined them, they told me it was Xanax which makes a lot of sense as to why they would use it. Most of the dancers were anxious so they explained the drug reduces that and makes you drowsy and tired." the detectives nodded as they listened intensely, taking mental notes. It all seemed to click and Eren knew that Xanax could be easily addictive, but Armin seemed fine but withdrawals would still be a bit hard for him to deal with. "You will get through this. We promise you." Jean encouraged him and saw Armin feel more relieved. "Thank you. I am ready to answer any question you both may have." Eren nodded, immediately taking out a notebook he had shoved in his back pocket and wiped out a pen, clicking it and beginning to write the date and hour to keep it in reports.  
"From what we know is that you were being used as an escort, though escorts do not do sexual favors, so it was mainly forced by your abuser and you did not want this to happen. In other words you were practically... exploited. Which isn't your fault, never think it was." Armin seemed to understand Eren's words as he had spoken, nodding slightly. "I need you to tell us everything from the very beginning." Jean emphasized, suddenly speaking and saw Armin take small breaths before he began to speak about his experience. He named 2 individuals that Eren immediately took note of. Yelena who was the one that was often forcing the dancers to do as she said and Zeke who supplied with the drug to make them weak and not fight back any sort of treatment. Jean practically listened disgusted as Eren kept writing more data onto the notebook, Armin telling him how Zachary often pissed off Zeke hence why he liked to keep him occupied with Armin. He did overhear a conversation Zeke and Yelena had before he practically fainted due to the drug."I heard them discuss one of the big guys was pissed off and wanted Zachary dead. So it clicked in my head when you told me he was dead... Though I didn't expect them to go so far to dress him up and make him look like you." his blue eyes drifted to a close and he exhaled. He felt anxious suddenly and hugged himself. Jean stood and checked on him. "Are you alright?" Armin firmly nodded but he was shivering, practically sweating. "It's the withdrawal, you should be okay as long as you get hydrated and well fed. You really helped us with the investigation." the light brown haired man explained, patting the young man's back and seeing him nod slowly. Silence began to close in and Armin lifted his gaze eyeing the tall man get away from his side and stand by the window. Eren had finished writing everything and exhaled a breath that was caught in his throat as he wrote the names of the culprits, wondering if Armin ever saw them fully. "Can you describe how they looked like?" the blond one thought for a bit and then shook his head. "I couldn't see them half the time, they often used this room in the club with a bright light to drug us and tell us whatever they needed to at the moment. All I could see was that both of them were blond. Then we were dragged out by the guards." Eren took note and stood from his chair, approaching Jean by the window. Jean's phone rang and he answered.  
"Hello? Hanji?"  
"Jean! We found the location for the phone call that we traced. I'll send it." he heard her say in a serious tone, practically startling him but waited. "That's the location, please investigate immediately, Erwin's orders. You guys can call if you need back up." with that she hung up and Jean looked over at Eren who was watching over the notes. "They found the location. We need to head over there." Eren nodded without hesitation, folding the notebook to a close and shoving it inside his coat's pocket. Jean looked over to Armin and approached him. Thanking him for the help and that he would come back later just to check up on him and how he was doing with the detox. The blond one understood with a small smile and saw as the two men left his room, immediately in the search to further investigate the person behind this mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if this chapter seems a tad off but I haven't been feeling well and it affects how I am writing atm.  
> Hope you all enjoyed regardless!


End file.
